sentence-final 'but'/'so'/'then'/meanings.....

[Davie]

That needs a Kelvinside translator to help every non-Glaswegian on the whole board.

Haw haw heh giezabrek innat
Whit Russell is tryin tae tell yeese is that.

Yon waants a punter wey a fur coat an’ nae knickers tae gie a hawn oan the Queens English as it is spoke so that the ither chancers livin outside o’ civilisation unnerstaun on aw this malarkey.

Davie

[bluebell2go]

Davie

Ah hivnae a fur coat, neither ah hiv. Ah dae hiv knickers, but.

Sylh

I still think there is a difference between:

He was really good-looking, so he was. and
He was really good-looking, but.

I met this new guy last night. He was really good-looking, so he was.

I'm no goin' oot wi' that guy again, he was really mean. He was really good-looking, but.

I think the second example is saying that despite the man's meanness the speaker still has to admit that he was really good-looking. It's connecting the second statement with the first in a contrasting way.

So if I write again the first sentence at the top but change it slightly:

"Ah hivnae a fur coat, neither ah hiv. Ah dae hiv knickers, so I hiv".

I think the sense of contrast is lost.

My daughter's just come in, I asked her the difference between:

He's really good-looking so he is, and

He's really good-looking, but.

She says (honest, no prompting from me):

The first is just a statement, the second means something derogatory has been said beforehand.

I'm still unsure about the comma. I've never heard the Irish use of "so".